This Mexico and Central Africa native tree shares the same plant family (Lauraceae) with cinnamon, bay laurel and camphor. It is most popular because of its delicious green skinned fruit which has fleshy body and a single seed in the center. Avocados are rich in several B vitamins and vitamin K, with good content of vitamin C, vitamin E and potassium. They also contain phytosterols and carotenoids, such as lutein and zeaxanthin. Many studies has shown that Avocados are beneficial for lowering cholesterol. So it is obvious that this fruit should be frequently present on your table.
You won’t believe how easy and fun it is to grow your own avocado tree from the pit of a fruit. All you need is to learn the technique to make that hard stone at the center at the fruit sprout. However, this doesn’t mean you will soon have your own avocado fruits to harvest – your tree might start producing fruits after 7-15 years. But you will still get a pretty nice houseplant or a new tree for your garden. Who knows, with proper care you might be making guacamole with avocados from your own tree. Now lets learn how to grow an avocado tree from a pit…
The Method
What you need to do is to remove the pit from an avocado fruit. Now rinse it well and dry it as you don’t want it to be slippery. Have in mind that the broad part of the pit is considered to be the bottom while the pointed part the top. Get 3-4 toothpicks and insert them into the widest part of the pit, about halfway to it. Suspend the pit over a glass/jar of water with the pointed part up. Make sure the water covers about an inch of the seed. Place the glass/jar in a spot with good light, but not in direct light. The water should be warm and the level should be maintained. In 2-3 weeks the seed will crack and after 1-2 weeks a single root will appear. In the next 1-3 weeks a stem will start growing. Your avocado tree is ready to plant when the root is around 2-3 inches long and the stem is at least 1-2 inches. Once it is planted, the stem will continue to grow. You will notice different sets of leaves developing. As the tree grows, prune the top branches so it becomes bushier.
Avocado as House Plant
If you want to keep your avocado as a house plant cut it back to about 3 inches when the stem is 6-7 inches long, this will encourage new growth. When it hits 6-7 inches again, pot it up in a rich humus soil in an 8-10″ diameter pot, leaving the top half of the seed exposed. Place on a sunny windowsill. Avocados love sun – the more sun the better.
Frequent watering and occasional soaking is a must in order to have a healthy plant.
Avocado Tree in Your Garden
If you like to plant it in your garden do it in summer, but have in mind that if you live anywhere where it gets cooler than 45 degrees F, you’ll need to bring them back indoors in the fall/winter, before the temperatures fall.
If you are lucky enough, your tree might produce fruits after 3-4 years, although it will more likely take 15 years for the first fruits.
What is better on a cold winter day then a healthy juice made with fresh fruits and vegetables that will boost your immunity and bring a smile on your face. This “sunny” immune booster we are sharing today is so easy to prepare and so healthy that it is a must-have on your daily menu. Filled with much needed vitamins, it will help you fight common colds and viruses. For best results use organic fruits and vegetables. Here is how to prepare it:
Ingredients
4 large oranges
2 tangerines
6 carrots
3 cm ginger root, grated
Preparation
Put all the ingredients (except ginger) into a high-power juicer and process. Add the ginger and dink right away, while still fresh.
If your garden has a limited sun, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to grow vegetables. While it is true that all vegetables do require a certain amount of sunlight in order to grow and thrive, some vegetables need significantly less sunlight than others. Gardeners who have shady yards can grow shade loving vegetables with no problems.
Generally, leafy vegetables are your best bet if you are gardening in a shady area. Vegetables to grow in your shade garden include all types of lettuces, cabbages, spinach and endive. Although they are not as shade tolerant as the leafy types of vegetables, such as lettuce, root vegetables are your second best bet when growing vegetables in a shady garden. Potatoes , beets, turnips and carrots are root vegetables that you can grow in you garden. Here are some shade loving vegetables that you may consider growing this year…
Kale
Include kale as one of the vegetables you grow in your garden if you want to receive the fantastic health benefits provided by the cruciferous vegetable family You’ll notice only a small reduction in growth if comparing kale grown in partial shade with kale grown in full sun.
Lettuce
Lettuce is perfect for shadier gardens because the shade protects it from the sun’s heat, preventing it from bolting as quickly. Lettuce needs rich, fertile soil that holds moisture, so work in plenty of well-rotted organic matter in advance.
Mesclun
One of the best crops for shady gardens. Grows in as little as two hours of sun per day and handles dappled shade well. The delicate leaves of this salad mix can be harvested in about four weeks, and as long as you leave the roots intact, you should be able to get at least three good harvests before you have to replant.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a great choice for your home garden. It is filled with much needed vitamins and minerals. Broccoli prefers cooler temperatures and it is one of the few vegetables that doesn’t require full sun, which means it can thrive in partial shade. You can even grow broccoli in containers placed in partial shade. Partial shade can even prevent plants from bolting (going to seed) in areas with warm spells. Provide a rich, well-drained soil, with plenty of compost.
Cauliflower
Just like broccoli, cauliflower can be grown in partial shade as it is a cool crop as well. If trees are the reason for the shade, you can consider thinning the branches to increase light penetration in the gardening site. Check for powdery mildew and other diseases that usually infest cauliflowers. To ensure that you get a pretty white head of cauliflower like this one, you may need to pull the leaves up over the head and tie them together to shade, or blanch, it.
Culinary herbs
Volumes can be written on the healing aspect of herbs, so plant some in your garden you won’t regret it. While many culinary herbs need full sun, chives, cilantro, garlic chives, golden marjoram, lemon balm, mint, oregano and parsley will usually perform well in shadier gardens.
Cabbage
The cabbage, or brassica, family is huge, and includes everything from the familiar red, white or green varieties with tightly packed leaves, to cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts .Give cabbage plenty of moisture and be sure to feed it through the season,a compost tea every two weeks will do the job.
Potato
Potato is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world.The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. Plant your potatoes as soon as soil is workable in early spring.
Peas and beans
Beans and peas are relatively easy to grow, making them a good choice for a first-time gardener or a new garden plot Growing these crops in partial shade, getting a good harvest will take longer. Try bush and dwarf varieties rather than pole varieties.
Beets
Garden beets are a cool-season vegetable with a richly colored root that can be cooked or pickled, the greens can be sauteed or used in salads. Beets are nutritious vegetables that grow in partial shade. Grow beets in rows, and make sure to plan the rows in east-west length. By doing so, the vegetables can harvest maximum sunlight for better growth.
A salad that isn’t Waldorf nor Coleslaw but somewhere in between. Fresh with a sour-sweet taste it is a perfect side dish to roasted meat or meatballs or any kind of poultry.
It is a perfect salad to surprise your dinner guests with. What we love best about it is that the recipe is easy to follow. The main ingredient are the Brussels Sprouts but what makes the salad so special are the walnuts, apples and peas and Greek yogurt. We used a little mayonnaise but feel free to skip it for a lighter version. Here is the detailed recipe:
Ingredients:
100 g Brussels Sprouts (cleaned)
2 small carrots, grated
1/4 celery root, grated
75 g walnuts
1 small peas cut into dices
1 sweet apple, grated
For the dressing:
100 ml Greek yogurt
2 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp orange juice (or vinegar)
1-2 tbsp freshly chopped parsley
salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. Wash the Brussels Sprouts and remove the outer leaves. Keep the leaves aside in a bowl of cold water as you will use them as decoration when the salad is ready. Cut the Brussels Sprouts into thin stripes. Mix the yogurt and mayonnaise. Add the orange juice and mix again. Now combine the yogurt mixture with the grated vegetables. Add salt, pepper and parsley. Store in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
2. When the dressing is chilled, mix the Brussels Sprouts with the walnuts, peas and apple. Pour the dressing over and lightly mix. Decorate with Brussels Sprouts leaves and some walnuts on top.
Growing your own vegetables is so rewarding. You have total control of the process and can be certain that what you eat is healthy and safe. And it is easy if you know what, when and where to sow!
Most veggies are easy to grow even by beginners. Of course, different vegetables require different conditions. This is why you should plan the sowing and growing carefully. To make things easier for you, we are sharing useful tips on how to sow and grow the most popular vegetables out there.
Usually the sowing of the vegetables starts when the weather gets warmer which is around March, depending on the climate and the year of course. It is probably the best to wait for April especially if you are sowing for the first time. For those who want to sow outside, in the garden choosing the right vegetables is very important. Try carrots, turnips, beetroot, lettuces, rocket, radishes, broccoli, calabrese, cauliflower, kale, brussels sprouts, leeks, leaf beet and spring onions. If you have weeds, than sowing in pots and trays is a smarter choice. March/April is the perfect time to sow brassica crops, lettuces, leeks, beans and peas. If you have a greenhouse consider summer salads, French beans and herbs.
When May comes the weather is already nice and warm and you can sow lots of vegetables. If you have already done the job in March/April your veggies might have already started to grow so prepare for weeding! Besides the crops we have mentioned for the previous two months, for outside sowing you can add herbs, summer salads, fennel and sweetcorn(only if the weather and soil are warm). If you can place your trays and pots somewhere warm you can sow courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons this month as well.
June is the last month to sow summer crops. Keep your courgettes, squashes, cucumbers and melons in pots and trays and add some oriental salads (mizuna, mibuna, mustard greens etc) to your garden.
July and August are the months when your vegetables will grow the most. They will need plenty of sunshine. but also enough rain to grow perfectly. This doesn’t mean you should stop sowing! Now is the time to start sowing vegetables for the winter and the beginning of the next year. For outside, sow winter radishes and swedes, oriental greens (mizuna, mibuna, komatsuna, mustard greens etc) and turnip greens, spring cabbage (from late July), bunching and spring onions.
The last sowing can be done in September/October. These includes winter salads and greens in the ground, bunching onions and broad beans and hardy peas. Also it is time to think about protecting your crops over the winter.
The end of the year is for tidying up your garden and getting it ready for the new year. You can still plant garlic outside just make sure you choose the biggest cloves. And don’t forget composting!
Before deciding which vegetables to choose and when to start sowing check out our easy “Sow What?” guide that includes when to start indoors and move outside the most popular plants for sowing in Spring:
Growing ginger at home is surprisingly easy and requires very little tools and time. But before we share with you and easy tutorial on how to grow your own ginger roots from the grocery shop let’s talk about how healthy ginger is.
Ginger, also known as Zingiber officinale has been cultivated for medicinal and culinary purposes since earliest times, including the Romans in 200 AD while in both Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, ginger occurs in about half of all prescriptions.
Ginger roots are well known remedies indigestion, nausea and even travel sickness. But their use doesn’t stop here as they help with colic, cold, flu, irritable bowl, poor circulation, menstrual cramps, dyspepsia and many more conditions. Ginger is also a powerful anti-inflammatory herb that is used for joint problems, arthritis, fevers, headaches, toothaches, coughs, bronchitis, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, to ease tendonitis, lower cholesterol and blood-pressure and aid in preventing internal blood clots. Yes, it is pretty obvious that ginger is a super food that should be definitely present on our menu. And the best part is that you can grow it in your own home.
Preparation
All you need in order to start growing ginger roots is a small container (pot, can, jar) filled with soil and a ginger root bought from the closest grocery shop. Make sure you choose one with many “fingers” (ginger roots look similar to a human hand) that is also firm and looks nice. Soak the ginger root in warm water for one night then cut into chunks.
Make sure the soil you use is well-drained, rich soil that is neutral to alkaline in pH level. Lay one ginger “finger” on the soil making sure it stays on the surface – you don’t want it completely covered with soil. This is the trick to making this project successful. You don’t need to place the container on a very light spot as it doesn’t require much light, but what it does require is warmth. Make sure you water it regularly as you must keep it moist constantly.
Useful Tips
It is best to plant the ginger root in autumn as an indoor plant and then you can move it to your garden in spring. If you wish to replant it in your garden then make sure the soil is well-drained and of course, continue with regular watering. Don’t worry about pests and diseases! Ginger is prone to bacterial wilt only in parts of India, China, and Australia. If winter temperatures drop below 0 degrees Fahrenheit it is best to grow ginger indoors as it is a tropical plant.
The Result
If you take a good care of your ginger root the green shoots can grow from 60 to 120 centimeters. Let the new ginger shoot grow for 3 to 5 months before you start using the new rhizomes. Plants need a 10 month growing season for optimum rhizome production. Oldest canes can be removed when new shoots appear
At last, enjoy using your homegrown ginger in your kitchen – young rhizomes can be juiced, eaten raw, preserved in syrup, and candied; also used in soups, marinades, curries, chutneys, pickles, meat and fish dishes and stir fries. Dried, ground ginger is used to flavor cakes, cookies, curries, chutneys, and sauces.
It is said that you are what you eat, meaning healthy food will make you healthier and happier. We live in a modern world, always rushing somewhere, living on fast food and coffee, caught in computers, so, we kind of forgetting how important is to eat healthy and live without stress. Between the busy working and studying schedules we just grab something to eat, chips, chocolate, some lame sandwich, forgetting that is much better for us and our organism to get an apple, orange juice or salad. It is a fact that you and your family must eat healthy, your diet should be rich in vitamins and fresh product. And the best way for that is to grow your own, and if you have a garden or yard, now is the right time to do it.
Growing vegetables is one of oldest agriculture tradition and you need to practice it. Eating product fresh from your garden, not only that is beneficial for you, but it is also good for the nature and environment. A perfectly ripe, juicy tomato, still warm from the sun. Sweet carrots and potatoes, pulled from the garden minutes (or even seconds!) before they’re eaten. The freshest onions or pepper that don’t even need to be cook. A vegetable garden is like having your own market, but with extra fresh and healthy products. Growing your own vegetables is one of those activities that balances practicality and indulgence. Vegetables start losing nutrients as soon as they’re harvested, and quality diminishes as sugars are turned into starches. For the tastiest veggies with the best nutrition, try growing a few of these nutrient-dense foods in your own garden. To be honest, gardening does require work, but by learning a few basic skills and techniques, you can make your vegetable gardening experience a pleasant one. If you need help choosing the kind, here are few we warmly recommend to plant in your garden. Tomatoes, lettuce, carrots, spring onions, potatoes and peas don’t need a lot of care and work, but for sure they are delicious and you want then on your table, right after you harvest them from the garden.
10 Easy to Grow Vegetables
Carrots
Carrots is a root vegetable, usually orange in color and it is an awesome addition to salad, soups, stews and roasting meat, but you just take bite from a fresh one, because it is so tasty and healthy. To grow carrots in your garden all you need to do is finding a plot of soil that is free from rocks and deep enough to handle this root vegetable. Carrots are ready for harvest when their tops breach the soil line. If you don’t have a garden, you can plant them in a deeper pot and leave it on the balcony.
Spring Onions
Spring onions are easy vegetables to grow in your garden, or sow them directly into the ground throughout the summer for a succession of crunchy, colorful crops. Select an open area in your garden that receives plenty of sunlight. It has a relatively mild onion flavor, and it can be raw or cooked. You can add it in your salads, soups or dips. If you don’t have space just plant the in a pot.
Potatoes
There is no person in the world who doesn’t love potato, cooked, fried, in a salad, baked or mashed, it is so delicious, and yet so easy to grow in your garden. Plant potatoes during late February and March. Dig straight, shallow trenches, 2 to 3 feet apart, in prepared soil. Plant seed potatoes 12 inches apart and cover with about 3 inches of soil. When the shoots reach 10 to 12 inches tall, use a hoe or shovel to scoop soil from between rows and mound it against the plants, burying the stems halfway. Repeat as needed through the growing season to keep the tubers covered. This is a simple, inexpensive, and proven method that farmers have used for millennia.
Peas
It is a cool season crop grown in many parts of the world; planting can take place from winter to early summer depending on location. Sow them directly into the ground from March to June and look forward to the incredible sweet flavor of fresh picked peas from June to August. All they require is support for their stems – simply erect some chicken wire or netting between supports at each end of the row. You’ll be amazed at how good fresh peas taste and use them for a side dish, tasty stew or as a salad addition.
Tomatoes
With a little water and a lot of sun, tomato plants will grow and fruit all summer long in your garden so you can have them fresh for your favorite salad or pizza! Most people prefer to buy starter plants from nurseries or home improvement stores, which is an easy, time-saving way to start. Tomatoes are fragrant and nutrient-rich and you can use them in so many dishes, salad and sauces.
Lettuce
Nothing beats the taste of a crunchy and fresh lettuce with some olive oil and lemon, so tasty and so healthy, the perfect salad. Lettuce is so easy to grow, takes up little space, and you can even grow it among flowers. Lettuce grows for many weeks in the mild weather of spring and fall. Give lettuce fertile, well-drained, moist soil with plenty of rich organic matter.
Beets
We just love beats – they are earthy, sweet and delicious! You can even eat the greens – try baby ones raw in a salad or cook the more mature ones. Beets are low in calories and filled with Vitamin B, folate and betanin, a phytochemical that’s thought to bolster immunity. And what is best about beets is that you can easily grow them in your garden. They grow quickly and you can choose from different varieties. As a cool season crop, they can survive frost and almost freezing temperatures. Plant them in a soil with pH higher than 6 and have in mind that good nutrition and a high phosphorus level to germinate. Keep the soil moist. Early crop can be planted in March/April, and late crop anytime from June to September.
Radish
This super fast crop grows in cooler climates or in light shade. It takes only 28 days to get a crunchy crop! Radishes are perfect for new gardeners. Just plant them 4-6 weeks before the average date of last frost, after aged manure or organic fertilizer has been worked into soil. When the radish seedlings are about two inches tall, thin the plants to three-inch spacings.Water in moderation.
Cucumbers
Cucumbers are easy to grow and even beginners can try them out in their garden. All you need to do is follow some simple rules like making sure you provide thim with enough space so they can stretch their roots because they can easily sprawl. You can plant them once all the danger of frost is gone as they are tropical vegetables and like warm climates. To avoid bitter tasting cucumber make sure you keep them hydrated, mulch them with organic mulch, give them sunlight and good soil and enjoy their sweet freshness.
Spinach
Do we even need to talk about the benefits of spinach? Filled with iron it is a wonderful addition to salads, soups and many many delicious dishes. Another great thing about spinach – it is so easy to grow in your garden! Start sowing seeds as soon as possible in spring as spinach is a cool weather crop. Make sure the soil is moist and nitrogen-rich. In 6 to 8 weeks you can start harvesting from any plant that has at least six leaves 3 to 4 inches long. Carefully cutting the outside leaves will extend the plants’ productivity, particularly with fall crops.
